Fitting



Feb. l, 1949.

C. H.- CRAWLEY FITTING Filed Nov. 1s, 1944 w .y 6. RM .,mm. ,W d; n F A7H 2. I 26 2 d u 0 3 B65 v 2 /322 ,2.5. 4 0 M A TTOENEYS Patented Feb.yl, 1949 s PATENT orrice FITTING Charles H. Crawley, Cleveland, Ohio,asslgnor to The Weatherhead Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 13, 1944, Serial No. 563,201

This invention relates generally to fittings for' hydraulic systems andmore particularly to fittings with angularly related intersectingpassageways, such as three and four way fittings, and

methods of making same.

Ordinarily, the bodies of three way` and four way fittings for makingconnections between flared tubes or between flared tubes and other fluidconduits are forged in one piece and then machined to provide thenecessary connecting means and intersecting fluid passageways. In themanufacture of small fittingsof this type, it is very difiicult to drillthe uld passageways accurately enough to insure that they will intersectat the centers of the fittings. For example, a small fitting may haveintersecting passageways only 315. inch to 115 inch in diameter, yet the.A passageways maybe ll/2 to 2 inches long. In

such a fitting, if the drill should run out only i of an inch indrilling from one end of the fitting to the center, the connection withthe intersecting passageway might either be'severely restricted or notmade at all. Also, the forged blanks are relativelyv expensive andrequire a substantial amount of machining to produce the completedfittings.

It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to providefittings with intersecting passageways which can be economicallymanufactured from bar stock by machining operations carried out in largepart on automatic screw machines, the fittings being made ofintersecting parts permanently joined together as by copper brazing orother brazing or soldering methods. Another object of the invention isto provide fittings with intersecting fluid passageways in which thepassageways can be formed rapidly and economically without requiring anyhigh degree of accuracy. Another object of the g invention is to providesuch fittings wherein the fluid passageways are enlarged at theirintersections, thus eliminating the need for any high degree of accuracyin the machining operations and in assembly', and preventing possibilityof restriction of flow at the intersections of the 1 passageways.-Another object is the provision of an emcient and economical method ofmanufacturing such fittings. V.

vFurther objects and advantages ofthe invention will become -apparentfrom the following description. of preferred forms thereof, referencelbeing made totheaccompanying drawings. The ressential characteristicsareksumma'rized in the claim.

Referring to the drawings,'Figuren 1 vshows a four way flared tubefitting or cross embodying a preferred form of my invention; Figure 2 isa sectional view of the fitting shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a viewpartially in section showing the outer of the two members making up thefitting of Figures 1 and 2, the view being taken at right angles to theplane of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4- is a view partially in sectionillustrating the inner of the two members making up the fitting ofFigures l and 2, the viewbeing taken at right angles to the plane ofFigures 1 and 2; Figure 5 illustrates a three way fitting, or T madeaccording to a preferred form of my invention; and Figure 6 is a sectionthrough the fitting shown in Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a four way fitting or cross Amade accordingto my invention 'comprises two parts, an outer member indicatedgenerally at A and an inner member indicated generally at B. The outermember A comprises threaded end portions Iii and II, terminating inconical seats I2 and I3 for engagement with a flared tube. The endportions thus constitute the male parts of conventional flared tube`fittings of the S. A. E. type. vBetween the end portions I0 and IIthere is an enlarged central or body portion Il. The body portion iscross drilled as at I5 to provide a relatively large openingtherethrough, while relatively small 1ongitudinal passages I6 and I1extend through the end portions I0 and Ii, respectively, and intersectthe transverse bore I5. A Opposite faces of the enlarged portion arepreferably provided with Throughout this application, I have shownflared tube fittings ol' the S. A. E. type. It will beunderstood,'however, that various other types of v fluid connections maybe employed, and that various combinations of different types ofconnectors may be used in the same fitting.

'Ihe central portion 2l of the inner member B is cylindrical andpreferably has a diameter at least as great as the maximum diameter Aof'at least one of the threaded portions 20 or 2l. The central portion iscross drilled to provide a relatively large opening 25, and the endportions V20 and 2| have relatively small "longitudinallyextending'passages 26 and 21, respectively which extend from the centersof the conical seats 22 and 23 and intersect the cross bore 25.

The members A and B are arranged so that they can be joined togetherpermanently and securely and at relatively low cost by furnace brazingor similar processes. Where the parts are composed of steel, I prefer toemploy the wellknown copper brazing process. To facilitate the brazingoperation, the cylindrical portion 24 of the part B has an externaldiameter substantially the same as the internal diameter of thetransverse bore I in the enlarged central portion I4 of the member A.Preferably, the diameters of these parts are such that the inner memberB makes a light press lit within the bore l5. The parts are assembled asshown in Figures 1 and 2 with the cross bore 25 of the inner member Bwithin the enlarged body portion I4 andpreferably substantially alignedwith the longitudinal bores I6 and I1 of the member A. No great careneed by taken to secure accurate alignment,

however, for the bore 25 is substantially larger than the bores I6 andI1, and any reasonably accurate alignment will insure unrestrictedcommunication between the passageways I5 and l1 and the bore 25, eventhough the bores I6 and I1 deviate within reasonably large limits fromthe true axis of the member A. After the parts have been assembled asshown, copper is supplied t0 the contacting surfaces of the parts by anyconventional method, for example, by small copper wires surrounding thepart B adjacent the body before, the same reference characters being apportion I4 of the member A, by electroplating one or both the parts withcopper, or by applying a paste or paint containing copper adjacent thecontacting surfaces of the parts. The assembled parts, with the coppervappropriately 'supplied thereto, are then passed through a brazingfurnace having a controlled atmosphere of hydrogen or other reducinggas. The parts are heated to a temperature of about 2150 F. in thefurnace and then permitted to cool` While maintained within the reducingatmosphere. At the heat of the brazing furnace, the copper becomes uid,penetrates the capillary spaces between the adjacent surfaces of theparts and alloys with the underlying ferrous material. Upon cooling, astrong leakproof bond results, and as the parts are cooled in a reducingatmosphere, they come from the brazing furnace bright and clean. Wherethe parts are composed of a non-ferrous material such as brass, they maybe soldered or otherwise joined by an alloy of lower melting point. Itwill be noted that in the completed article, the copper brazing or`other brazing 4operation produces joints between closely flttingcylindrical surfaces. Thus the only stresses that can be imposed on thebonding material are in shear; and the alloy bond is particularlyadapted to resist such stresses.

It will be noted that the cross bores I5 and 25, which are ofsubstantially greater diameter than the longitudinal passageways throughthe members, provide in effect an enlarged central chamber within thecompleted fitting at the intersection of the several passageways. Thepresence of this'enlarged chamber eliminates the need for any highdegree of accuracy in drilling the several passageways. Thus themachining operations can be carried'out rapidly and at relatively lowcost. The design of the parts is also such that the parts can bemanufactured from inexpensive bar stock by automatic screw machineoperations. For example, the part A may be formed from round bar stockhaving the diameter 0f the Gentral body portion I4. The end portions maybe machined and threaded to the form shown, and the longitudinalpassageways drilled from the center of the conical seats I2 and I3 intothe central body portion of the fitting, one end being machined,threaded and drilled before the piece is cut off, similar operationsbeing carried out on the other end 'in a chucking machine. Thereafter,the bore I5 may be drilled and the flat faces I8 and I9 milled orotherwise formed on the body. If desired, hexagonal bar stock of thesize of the body portion may be employed, thus eliminating the operationof milling the flats. Thus the piece can be machined rapidly andeconomically with much of the work being done on automatic screwmachines.

The member B may be made from round bar stock in similar fashion, exceptthat the operation of milling the flats on the body is omitted. Theamount of machining required in the manufacture of both members isrelatively small and there is little waste material. The parts may bemachined from bar stock which is inexpensive, yet has thecharacteristics required in the completed fittings. Because of the lowcost of the material, the machining operations and the brazingoperation, the assemblies can be produced rapidly and economically.

In Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings, I have shown my invention as appliedto a threeway or T iitting. Here the member B is constructed just asplied to the member as in Figures 1 to 4, but the outer member indicatedin general atC has only a single threaded end 3U terminating in aconical seat 3| and having a longitudinal bore 32 leading to theenlarged transverse'bore 33. The body portion 34 terminates shortlybeyond the transverse bore 33 in an end face 35. -Thus the member C isjust like the member A with one of the end portions I0 or Il cut off.The members are assembled as before with the enlarged bore 25 of themember B in communication with the longitudinal bore 32 of the member Cand with the cylindrical surface 24 of the member B bonded to the innercylindrical surface of the cross bore 33 of the member C. The bodyportion of the member C is provided with iiats 36 for engagement with awrench, either by milling or by making the member from hexagonal stock,and the 'member may be manufactured from bar stock by automatic screwmachine operations, the only second operation required being thedrilling of the cross bore 33. y

From the foregoing description of preferred forms of my invention, itwill be evident that I have provided fittings which can be manufacturedrapidly and economically, with conven- Stube fittings of the S. A. E.type. Obviously,

other types of iiared tube connectors or other connecting means may beincorporated in the fittings. Various other changes and modifications inthe invention may be' made without departing from the teachings thereof.Therefore, it is to be understood that my patent is not limited to thepreferred forms described herein or in any manner other than by thescope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A tube tting comprising an outer' member hav ing an end portion providedwith means for connection to another uid conduit, an enlarged bodyportion, a transverse bore through said body portion and a longitudinalpassage through said end portion intersecting said transverse bore, thediameter of said 'transverse bore being substantially larger than thediameter of said longitudinal passage, and an inner member having an endportion provided with means for connection to another iiuid conduit anda cylindrical portion, a substantially diametric aperture extendingthrough said cylindrical portion and a longitudinal passage through theend portion of said inner member intersecting the diametric aperture ofsaid member, the diameter of the diametric aperture in the' innerlmember being substantially larger than the diameter of thelongitudinal'passage in the end portion of said outer member, theexternal diameter of the cylindrical portion of the inner member beingsubstantially the same as the internal diameter of the transverse boreof the outer member, the inner wall of the trans- REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 899,582 Weston Sept. 29, 19081,668,488 Boosey May 1, 1928 1,964,474 Lindquist June 26,1934 2,247,420Sylvester July 1, 1941 2,257,427 Parker Sept. 30, 1941 2,405,010 YBucknam July 30, 1946

